What are Tenses in English Grammar?
Tenses, the building blocks of sentences, are a form of the verb used to express the time of an action
and its degree of completeness. The tenses help us to express the time of an event, the time when a
person did something or the time when something happened.
Types of Tenses in English Grammar
Tenses are of three main types, as given below.
1. Present tense
2. Past tense
3. Future tense
To describe the degree of completeness of an action or a situation, the above grammar tenses are
further divided into 4 parts each, thus giving us the 12 tenses in English grammar. So, we can say that
there are 4 types of present tense, past tense and future tense each.
All tenses in English are given in the table below.
12 Tenses in English
Types of Tenses Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
Present Indefinite Past Indefinite Tense Future Indefinite Tense
Indefinite/Simple
Tense
Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous
Continuous Tense Tense
Tense
Perfect Present Perfect Tense Past Perfect Tense Future Perfect Tense
Perfect Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect
Continuous Continuous Tense Continuous Tense Continuous Tense
What is Present Tense?
A present tense describes the work/habit that is occurring at present and the degree of its
completeness is described by 4 different tenses. Below we have listed all 4 present tenses to help you
understand what is the difference between either of them and where and when to use them. We have
also given the rules for each present tense later in the tense chart below.
1. Present Indefinite Tense: Also known as the Simple Present tense, these tenses do not clearly
describe whether the work (that is talked about in the sentence) is still ongoing or is complete.
Usually, by simple present tense, we describe a habit, a daily routine, a general fact, the current
moment or a near future event.
2. Present Continuous Tense: These tenses describe that an action/condition is occurring in the
current moment and may continue into the future.
3. Present Perfect Tense: This tense describes an action that has been started in the past and
has been completed until the current time. This means that the Present Perfect tense describes
the work/action that has been “completed” however, some of its effect remains in the present time
as well.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense: These tenses describe an action that has started in the
past and is still continuing in the present/current time. These actions are not “complete” and are
continuing till the present time.
What is Past Tense?
A past tense describes an action that has been completed/happened or a state/situation that existed in
the past. The 4 types of past tenses in English are described briefly below.
1. Past Indefinite Tense: Also known as the Simple Past Tense, this tense describes an action
that has happened in the past or a situation that occurred in the past. Present Indefinite tense is
used to describe past actions:
that are described by time (such as by using words - yesterday, last, ago, never, etc.),
that have occurred as a habit in the past, and
which are described using “since” as an adverb
2. Past Continuous Tense: This tense describes an action that continued to occur for some
certain time in the past.
3. Past Perfect Tense: This tense describes an action already completed before the start of
another event in the past. It also sometimes describes the actions that were completed at a
certain point in the past.
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense: This tense describes actions that started and continued till a
certain point in time in the past. This tense also describes an action/situation that continued till
another action/situation occurred in the past.
What is Future Tense?
The future tense describes a situation that doesn’t exist in the present moment or an action that has not
happened in the present yet and may happen in the future. The 4 different types of future tenses in
English are given below.
1. Future Indefinite Tense: Also known as the Simple Future Tense, the Future Indefinite Tense
describes the actions that are going to happen in the near future or in the coming time.
2. Future Continuous Tense: Also known as the future progressive tense, this tense is used to
describe an action that will continue or remain in progress in the future. It is simply the future form
of the present continuous tense.
3. Future Perfect Tense: This tense is used to describe the actions that will be completed by a
certain time in the future.
4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense: Also known as the Future Perfect Progressive Tense, the
future perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that will remain progressing until a
certain time in future.
Tenses Chart
The 12 tenses rules with examples are given below.
Tense Chart with Rules and Examples
Types of Present Tense Rule and Past Tense Rule and Future Tense Rule and
Tenses Example Example Example
Rule: Subject + V1 + Rule: Subject + V2 + Rule: Subject +
Indefinite/Si Object Object will/shall + Object
mple Example: I do my Example: I did my Example: I will do my
homework daily. homework early this homework while listening
evening. to music later today.
Rule: Subject + Rule: Subject +
Rule: Subject + is/are/am was/were + V1 + ing will/shall be + V1 + ing
+ V1 + ing + Object + Object + Object
Continuous
Example: I am doing my Example: I was Example: I will be
homework. doing my homework doing my homework at 7
when you arrived. pm.
Rule: Subject +
Rule: Subject + had
Rule: Subject + has/have will/shall have + V3 +
+ V3 + Object
+ V3 + Object Object
Perfect Example: I had
Example: I have done my Example: I will have
done my homework
homework. done my homework by
before you arrived.
tomorrow.
Rule: Subject + had Rule: Subject +
been + V1 + ing + will/shall have been +
Rule: Subject + has/have
Object V1 + ing + Object
Perfect been + V1 + ing + Object
Example: I had been Example: I will have
Continuous Example: I have been
doing my homework been doing my
doing my homework.
for hours when I homework for 3 days by
finished. Friday.
Where, V1 = first form of verb, V2 = second form of verb and V3 = third form of verb.
12 Tenses Examples
The examples of the 12 tenses in English grammar are given below.
Tenses Examples
Tenses Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
I go shopping every I went shopping
Indefinite I will go shopping tomorrow.
weekend. yesterday.
I am going shopping I was going shopping I will be going shopping at 3
Continuous right now. when you called. pm tomorrow.
I have gone shopping I had gone shopping I will have gone shopping by
Perfect already. before the stores closed. the time you arrive.
I had been going I will have been going
I have been going
Perfect shopping for hours when shopping for two hours by the
shopping all
Continuous I finally found what I time we meet. (Check
afternoon.
needed. out Future Plans)
